LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah Monday summoned inter-provincial coordination secretary and irrigation secretary for not presenting the water policy before the Council of Common Interest (CCI). The chief justice directed the officials to appear and explain about delay in presenting the water policy before the CCI. The chief justice was hearing a petition filed by a farmer, Asghar Leghari, seeking implementation of ‘Framework for Implementation of National Climate Change Policy 2013’ to meet challenges of climate change. An officer of the irrigation department informed the court that the draft of the provincial water policy had been finalised. A representative of the inter-provincial coordination said that water policy had been devised, but could not be presented before the CCI due to a conflict among provinces. He told the court that a ten-year flood protection plan had also been made but huge funds were required for its enforcement. Earlier, the petitioner had submitted that the governments and authorities concerned were not taking steps to develop the required resilience to climate change as per the Framework for Implementation of National Climate Change Policy, 2013. He pointed out some serious threats to Pakistan as a consequence of climate change, saying considerable increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events coupled with erratic monsoon rains were causing frequent and intense floods and droughts. He said that the projected recession of the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan (HKH) glaciers due to global warming were threatening inflows into the Indus River System (IRS). “Silting of major dams and rising temperatures – which are resulting in enhanced heat and water-stressed conditions – particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, are leading to reduced agricultural productivity,” he added. He added, “Decrease in already scanty forest cover, increased intrusion of saline water in the Indus delta are adversely affecting coastal agriculture, mangroves and the breeding grounds of fish.” “Given the water, food and energy insecurity, these threats have become a cause of concern for Pakistan,” he added.